ALBANY, N.Y. (September 11, 2013) — Daniel Morales-Armstrong ’10 says his life was transformed as a Bronx youth by the ENLACE program, which provides academic enrichment to high-achieving Latino students. Today, as an assistant director at ENLACE in the Bronx Institute at Lehman College, he gets to make that kind of difference for others.

“Frankly, it’s the best job in the world,” said Morales-Armstrong, “and the University at Albany helped make it possible.”

After graduating from UAlbany with degrees in criminal justice and psychology, Morales-Armstrong went on to receive a Master of Education in prevention science and practice from Harvard University before gaining his position with ENLACE (which stands for Engaging Latino Communities for Education). He identifies several areas at UAlbany that paved his way to success.

“The criminal justice program at the University consistently ranks among the highest in the country,” he said. “And Professor Gordon Gallup in psychology pushed me to think outside the box and assess problems in creative ways. That was one of the things that really prepared me for graduate school success at Harvard.”

Morales-Armstrong also interned in the New York State Assembly — “something I would never have done if I hadn’t attended a school in the state capital.”

Morales-Armstrong also credits the peer encouragement he received as a member of the fraternity Lambda Sigma Upsilon. “When most of us hear the word ‘fraternity,’ we think of the social aspects,” he said. “But my fraternity brothers encouraged me to work harder —my GPA jumped significantly after I joined —and to set my sights higher.

“Their support is another of the reasons I am where I am today — being given a once-in-a-lifetime chance to make progress in areas that really matter to my community.”

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